reality: n. something to be tampered with only after several cups of coffee.

Road to Writing

When I first started, I thought all you had to do is write a book. Can you say *naive*, boys and girls? Join me on my journey as a pre- published writer looking to see my name on the cover of a book. I'll talk about all the bumps, bruises, joys and frustrations I encounter along the way.

Once again, I'm forced to question my sanity. This is happening entirely to often for my tastes.

I'm in the process of reading Pam McCutcheon's Writing the Fiction Synopsis: A step by step approach and trying, once again, to write the synopsis for IH using the method outlined in the book.

And of course, on top of that, I'm in the process of writing two, count 'em, two stories. One the romantic comedy with the hairy toothless drummer, and the other is Jackson's story, the follow-up to IH. They both have very different tones to them: BMO has my sarcastic heroine and the thong-wearing old lady, while SR is more . . . I hesitate to call it angsty, so I'll just say it's much less comedic and has my arrogant, yet hunky drummer, Jackson. How do I choose which ms to work on? Depends on my mood.

If I'm feeling particularly snarky, or if I've just watched an episode of the WB's Gilmore Girls, I go for BMO. But if I'm feeling more serious and/or melancholy, it's SR all the way.

But right now, as I type this blog entry, I'm actually avoiding working on the synopsis for IH, and remembering why I hate synopses so much.

To my blog friends whose blogs I normally visit regularly, I offer my most heartfelt apologies. I haven't found time lately to do any blog-hopping. What with all these workshops I've been taking, the two WIPs I'm trying to write simultaneously, and the critiques I've been doing for my CPs, not to mention all the shtuff I have to do around the house -- there just aren't enough hours in the day.

It's been a busy few days for me. Completed the character building workshop with Millie Criswell at RWAOL, and finished it with a bang. She liked my character sketches for Jackson and Rebecca in SR (Shifting Rhythms).

Still doing Around a Book in 180 Days with the From the Heart RWA chapter. We're on week three of that one. I'm also in a workshop with them about plotting. That one starts tomorrow and runs for a week.

Not too long ago, I also joined the Eastside RWA Chapter after seeing a post come through the lists about their 2005 Year of Craft. They've got monthly online workshops planned for just about every writing subject.

Yes, I'm becoming a workshop junkie. When I get interested in something, I tend to read everything on the subject I can get my hands on. I want to learn everything I can. What better way to do that than to take interactive workshops?

But back to my title. Another thing I did over the past few days was attend my first Weight Watchers meeting. Some of the people I've mentioned this to have looked at me and said, "Boy, I'll bet they just loved you there!" or "You're probably at most of their goal weight." Okay. While I admit I'm a little smaller than most of the people attending that meeting, that doesn't make my resolve to lose weight any less.

Last spring I broke my ankle playing soccer with my daughter's team. While I recovered, I had to stay on my butt with my foot elevated. Hard to stay in shape when your butt's planted on the couch. And as a result, I put a few pounds on. Almost like that first pound found me sitting still then ran off to convince a bunch of his friends to join him in taking up residence on my hips and thighs. Why is it weight is so much easier to gain than it is to lose?

Anyway, I've been on the program since last Thursday, and so far, doing pretty well. Haven't gone over my points, and I'll be restarting my exercise program tomorrow or Tuesday (depending on if my kids leave me alone). I'm alternating Pilates, yoga and Tae Bo.

I will dump this weight!

I will learn to plot out my stories better!

And I will finish the two books I'm working on right now (BMO and SR) in 2005!

Over at RWAOL, I'm taking a character building workshop with author Millie Criswell. As one of my CPs mentioned, this workshop is hard! We started with short blurbs about our characters, then by filling out worksheets, interviews and such, we get deeper and deeper into their psyches (is that the right word?).

My characters have been fighting me every step of the way. They don't want to answer the worksheet questions. Jackson told me, "I'll tell you what you need to know when you damn well need to know it."

But when I relayed this to our workshop instructor, her response was, "Hey! Who's in charge?" So, I ruined Jackson's day. Not only did I make him fill out the worksheet, but he had to write his in-depth character sketch himself. Tonight, he has to write a descriptive paragraph about Rebecca. He's grumbling about homework.

Anyway, I though I'd share my initial blurbs about the characters in SHIFTING RHYTHMS. I won't share any of the other in-depth things I wrote, mainly because they're just too long.

At any rate, enjoy!

===

REBECCA DONNELLY is a lonely woman in her late 30's. Her husband and their two children were killed by a drunk driver, and she suffers from a severe case of survivor's guilt. Her only goal is to get through life as quietly and unobtrusively as possible. She feels like that, alone, is more than she deserves. The people around her, however, have a different view of what she deserves.

JACKSON MORETTO is a musician fed up with the rock 'n roll lifestyle. He's tired of calling women "love" just so he doesn't have to remember their names, and he hates having to spend so much time ducking overzealous female fans. And although he doesn't realize it at first, he's tired of people who find him attractive just for his surface characteristics and never bother to dig deeper to find the man inside. He's ready for a change, he just doesn't know what that change should be.

Because of my music geekness, when one of my CPs asked tonight about Steve Perry's (ex-Journey) solo career, I pulled out my CDs to answer her questions.

Ah, Steve Perry. My biggest crush from high school. His voice still does things to me. But I'm getting off track.

Anyway, I had these CDs out, so I went ahead and put his "Greatest Hits + Five Unreleased" into the laptop for my listening pleasure. And suddenly, I wanted to write.

While Steve sang to me through my headphones, I managed to bang out four pages! I ended up rewriting some of the stuff I'd written before, but that's okay, because I think I'm moving in a better direction.

But still. I WROTE FOUR PAGES!

And now I'm going to bed. [g]

(And I still find his "What Was" a gut-wrenching, emotionally touching song. Can you hear my big sigh?)

For a while there, I was be-bopping along quite happily. SHIFTING RHYTHMS, while not breaking any speed records, was coming through quickly. Then it all stopped.

Why?

Because of music. It's all because of the music.

I know that probably sounds weird to non-writers. I listen to music while I'm writing. Preferably, music favored by my characters. I've found that my characters are more talketive when I have the right music playing. With IH it was Journey and the Damn Yankees. With BMO it's been Danny Vaughn.

I knew Jackson, my male lead in SR likes Mother's Finest, so I popped "Another Mother Further" into my laptop and poised my fingers over the keyboard to record the flood of information that was sure to come.

Nothing.

Jackson may like Mother's Finest, but they don't get him talking. So tonight I've been listening to other CDs, trying to find the one that'll loosen his lips.

Actually did some writing today! Took Rocky with my to my daughter's martial arts lesson, and while she worked out inside, I sat in the truck and actually made progress. It's what I'd hoped for. I told my CPs that I was going to write, probably skip the scene that was adding to my insanity condition (the credit for starting it goes to my children), and write the scene where Jackson arrives in Atlanta and first meets Rebecca.

Scratching your head on that one? So was I. This is so not writing-related, but I ended up laughing my butt off the rest of the night, so I thought I'd share.

I was sitting in the dining room with my kids last night, and we were working on a jigsaw puzzle together. Anyway, my 9-year-old daughter leaned across the table and looked at me with an extremely earnest expression on her face.

"Momma, motsy hosen close, right?" she said.

Huh? I wasn't sure what language she was speaking. "What?" I asked.

"Motsy hosen close," she said, just as earnestly as before.

I sat there a moment or two trying desperately to decipher what my child said to me. No luck. Finally I looked at her and said, "Motsy hosen close?"

I laughed so hard I couldn't even answer. Then, after I finally did answer her, I gave her a hard time about it the rest of the night. Every so often, I'd just look up and say, "Hey, motsy hosen close."

So I'm doing Around a Book in 180 Days through the From the Heart RWA Chapter. The idea is to help with . . . ah, crap. Here's an excerpt from the e-mail that went around advertising the program:

Have problems with Opening Hooks, Sagging Middles, weak Conflict, or tying up lose ends? What about just getting motivated to start that book?

Join us for 180 days of guidance, help, advice, suggestions, and lots of support and camaraderie. Learn how to plot and follow a simple outline without stifling your creativity, beef up your Hero, or develop your kick-ass Heroine. We will discuss the difference between a complex plot and a convoluted one, and how to clarify problems, how to stay on track using Christopher Vogler's Hero's Journey as a guide, and the importance of a strong Goal, Motivation, and Conflict (GMC). Around A Book In 180 Days will also have monthly Achievement Awards to be announced on the Plotting Therapy list.

I've decided to use Jackson's as yet untitled story for this one. And of course, the first e-mail on AABi180 went out yesterday, and one of the first things they want us to do is decide on a title or working title for our story. Fine. I filled in my line on the database with "Jackson's Story (working title)" and I gotta tell ya, it pales when compared to the awesome titles everybody else has filled in.

I'm a title idiot!

So now I'm trying to find a title. I want it two words, to continue in the IRRESISTIBLE HARMONY tradition, which of course, is the book Jackson first appeared in. I want to use the word rhythm in the title because Jackson's a drummer. But I'm stuck on the other word.

You are a life-giving substance. The US government
has secret stockpiles of you hidden in caverns
under the Rockies. When for some reason you
are late to a meeting, world financial markets
are thrown into chaos. Your presence can cure
warts and mild depression, and when you enter a
room, you diffuse a gentle fragrance that
reminds people of the happiest moment of their
childhoods. Cats and children adore you; they
curl up at your feet, where they torment small
crawling things and occasionally lick your
toes.